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Because of a shoulder injury, Doug Martin‘s season only lasted seven weeks. It wasn’t too long ago when Martin was one of the best running backs in fantasy football. In his rookie season out of Boise State, Martin had a special season. In that season, in Week 9 against the Oakland Raiders, Martin had 25 rushes for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in Lovie Smith to be the head coach and Jeff Tedford to the offensive coordinator. Tedford is a big believer in the spread offense and this will benefit Martin because of his ability in both the running and passing game. Another significant move the Bucs made over the offseason was bringing in Josh McCown to be the new starting quarterback. When Jay Cutler went down with an injury late in the season last year, McCown filled in admirably, and arguably played better than Cutler.
After seeing the success McCown had last year, the Bucs have brought in players to have an offense similar to the one the Chicago Bears had in 2013. McCown had tall receivers in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and now he has Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. McCown also had a versatile running back behind him in Matt Forte. The Bucs believe Martin is on the same level as Forte.
If Martin can stay healthy and recover from the shoulder injury, he should have a huge season in 2014. Although they will face a tough Carolina Panthers defense, Martin is a must-start in all leagues. He will likely get around 20 carries and some good looks as a dump-down receiver as well.
Ryan Ratty is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL or add him to your network on Google.
